Lens-chopping gets pretty contentious, eh? I've chopped a few for Pentax usage.
* Some are reversible: Exakta or pre-AI Nikon, no problem; certain Argus, it's possible.
* Some are still usable on their native mount: Olympus OM and Contax-Yashica, no problem.
* Some are totally unusable on their native mount: Nikon AI or Petri, gone forever.
* Some I haven't done as they need mount replacement: Minolta, X-Fujinon, Praktica Bayonet.
* At least one should be easy but I can't afford the lens to start with: Leica R, no way!
The ethics of lens-chopping is beyond me. I can factor-in value: Is the lens too valuable to chop, and if so, to whom? I feel few qualms about chopping lenses of 'dead' brands like Petri, Minolta MD, Argus, Exakta. Perhaps to a Canoneer, Pentax *is* a dead brand. I don't hesitate to chop cheap lenses. Perhaps to a rich Canoneer, an FA-Ltd *is* a cheap lens. As long as any chops are revealed when the lens is sold, I see no ethics problems here.
And a non-mangling chop needn't ruin the lens for its native mount. I mentioned OM and C/Y lenses; my trimming of bayonet flags doesn't ruin them. And I've benefited from a chop job on a K50/1.2. The seller had trimmed its aperture flag to fit on an m4/3 mount -- enough so it was no longer pristine, not enough to impair function on my K20D. I'm sure a pristine copy would have cost me more than US$250 shipped. The surgery kept it affordable for me.
That Craigslist ad reveals the chops. Those may or may not be good prices for Canon-modded lenses in the Canon community, I don't know. But my bottom line is: DON'T SWEAT IT. C'mon -- the 43Ltd is a nice piece of work but it ain't no Mona Freaking Lisa. If somebody takes a chainsaw to convert their '63 Porsche Sportster into a pickup, fine. If someone takes a Dremel to convert a Nikkor 85/2 to fit a PK mount, fine. (Oh yeah, that was me.) As long as the mods are revealed at sales time, fine.
OTOH, I hate that Canoneers and NEXters are snapping up all our good Pentax glass and raising prices. Damn them!
Originally posted by Blue The Craigslist seller didn't specify which camera it would work perfectly well on.
The ad is headed 3 MANUAL LENS FOR CANON 5D. That's pretty specific.